Disclaimer: I am NOT Stephenie Meyer and I don't own any of the Twilight series' characters or stories. I borrowed the dialogue and storyline from Eclipse, but the rest is my own take on the story, as seen through Edward's eyes.

Chapter 27

Chicanery

A lone finger traced the smooth outline of Bella's sleeping form. Her body lay draped across mine, the hand that held my mother's ring resting on my chest. I brushed a strand of hair from her face and brought her left hand up to my lips, kissing it lightly, delighting in the way the morning's sunlight made the diamonds glitter across her face.

I closed my eyes, replaying the evening's events over and over in my mind. I would never get tired of hearing the word 'yes' pass through her lips. For so long I had waited for her, waited to make her mine. Yesterday she was my girlfriend, for lack of a better term, but this morning, she was my fiancée. I smiled broadly as I whispered the word; the sound of it bringing forth emotions that had long been dormant, emotions I feared had vanished when I lost my soul.

"Too many flowers, Alice," Bella mumbled in her sleep. I leaned my head down, kissing her forehead. Now that I had secured her hand, Bella's dreams seemed to have been taken over by thoughts of wedding plans. I chuckled to myself, wondering if she would have preferred the nightmares of newborns rather than the threat of planning a wedding with Alice.

If Bella didn't want a wedding, I could live with that. Not that I wouldn't love to marry her properly – dressed in formal attire, reciting vows before a minister, surrounded by family and friends. I wanted it all, but what I wanted more was her and I could set aside my ideals if it would make her happy. All that mattered was that we would be together – united in marriage and then united in…

I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking about the promise I had made. I would need to speak to Carlisle at my earliest opportunity. He would be able to advise me in this matter – how I could prepare, what I could do to ensure her safety. The idea of being with Bella in that way filled me with a strange mixture of anticipation and terror. The only thing that terrified me more was the ribbing I was sure to receive once Emmett caught wind of our compromise.

Bella shifted, snuggling closer to me. For someone who had so vehemently fought sleep, she looked so peaceful, so serene. I smiled, remembering how she insisted she didn't want to waste our precious time alone on sleeping. But after the excitement of our engagement and the onslaught of kisses and caresses, she had no choice but to succumb to fatigue.

Her eyelids slowly began to open, squinting at the morning's rays that streamed through the wall of glass. She reached up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and smiled drowsily at me.

"Good morning," I whispered.

"Good morning."

"Thank you," I murmured, nuzzling her neck.

"For what?" she asked, shifting up on her elbows.

"For this," I lifted her left hand and pressed my lips against it, "for sharing the most amazing night with me, for seeing past what I am and loving me for who I am. For saying yes."

"You're welcome," she rose up, placing her hands on either side of my head, and leaning down over me. Her hair cascaded around me like a chestnut waterfall as she pressed her lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me, and we picked up where we left off when she had fallen asleep.

Much as I would love nothing more than to spend a day in bed with Bella in my arms, there were preparations to be made. We would be laying the false trail this afternoon and meeting with Jacob soon thereafter. I pulled back, smiling at the pout that formed on her lips at the break in contact.

"We should probably get out of bed," I whispered in her ear.

"What for?" she teased. "Everything I need is right here." She pressed her palms on either side of my face, bringing my lips to hers. She was making this entirely too difficult, much too tempting to throw our day's plans out the window.

"Everyone will be home soon," I murmured between kisses. She pulled back and made face at me. "I know exactly how you feel," I chuckled before giving her one last peck on the lips and scooting off the bed.

She sat on the edge of the bed and began rifling through her bag for something to wear. My t-shirt, that she had insisted on wearing last night, fell just above her knees and with the way the sunlight hit her, I could see every contour through the thin fabric. I gripped the edge of the door to keep myself in place, struggling far too much with the temptation to try now.

She turned her head and quirked an eyebrow at my expression. She had caught me ogling her and I quickly averted my eyes. "I, um –" I stammered, running my fingers nervously through my hair. "Why don't you shower and dress. I'll go make you some breakfast."

She smirked, returning her attention to the open bag on the floor. She methodically removed her jewelry, carefully placing it on my dresser, and walked toward the bathroom with her clothing draped over her arm.

-x-

I glanced up from the stove as Bella descended the stairs, her damp hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. The expression on her face was indiscernible. I set my spatula down and crossed the room to her, wrapping her in my arms.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "After tomorrow, this will all be over." I kissed her forehead and my hands traveled around her shoulders and down her arms, clasping her hands in mine.

It wasn't until I reached her hands that I noticed something was missing. On the third finger of her left hand, where a golden band should be resting, I felt nothing but the warmth and smoothness of her skin. She was still looking down at her feet. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

My heart clenched in my chest, terrified that our amazing evening together had only been a dream – that in the few hours of sleep, she had convinced herself that saying yes to my proposal had been a mistake. I placed a finger under her chin, coaxing her to look at me, pleading with my eyes for explanation.

"Don't be mad," she cringed.

"Why would I be mad, Bella?"

She was silent for several moments. The clock ticking on the wall accentuated every beat of silence and not knowing what she was thinking was beginning to drive me insane.

"Bella, please talk to me. Why would I be mad?"

"It's just –" she hesitated. "With everything that's happening tomorrow, I don't want there to be any distractions. We all need to focus on the battle, right?"

I nodded. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that I knew where she was going with this.

"I thought it might be best to wait until after the fight before we tell anyone about our engagement," she continued.

I blew out a puff of air, furrowing my brow. I couldn't wait to shout it from the rooftops, but Bella wanted to keep it a secret? I wondered what excuse she would use after the newborns were destroyed. She wouldn't keep our engagement a secret forever. Would she?

"Alice will already know," I reminded her.

"I know," she groaned, "but I'm hoping that she also saw that I wanted to wait before sharing the news."

This is about the dog, isn't it? I wanted to ask her, but I kept my lips firmly pressed together to prevent the offending question from escaping. I lowered my eyes, silently berating myself for jumping to conclusions. We had been down this road before and my tendency to overreact never helped matters.

"Will you keep it safe for me?" she asked, tilting her head so she could see my eyes.

I nodded, unable to form the words. After carrying the ring with me for so long, I finally placed it on her finger, only to have it returned to me the next morning. I tried my best to hide my disappointment, managing a weak smile before returning my attention to the pancakes cooking on the stove.

I set the steaming plate in front of her. "Bon appétit." She smiled up at me as she placed a forkful in her mouth.

"I'll be back in a few moments," I told her before I began climbing the stairs to my room. I pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt, running my hands through my hair in an attempt to tame the disheveled mess.

I crossed the room to the dresser where Bella had left her ring. My hand lightly passed over it and I marveled how the heat from her skin still resonated from within the metal. I balanced the delicate ring in my palm and lowered myself to the edge of the bed.

Why did I have such a difficult time accepting Bella's feelings toward marriage? The ring felt exponentially heavier as I returned it to my pocket. I closed my eyes and lowered my head into my hands, fighting back the feelings that threatened to spill over. It was irrational, I knew that, but I couldn't deny that I felt rejected. After so much progress, I felt like I was right back at square one. I had her promise, and her word meant more to me than anyone else's. But there was something about seeing a ring on her finger, having a chance to proclaim to the world that she was mine, that she had chosen me – I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss that the ring had been returned to me so abruptly.

Stop taking it so personally, I chastised myself. I shook my head, forcing the emotions to the back of my mind. I mustered up the best smile I could manage and descended the stairs to rejoin Bella.

The remainder of the morning was spent in quiet reflection, mental preparation for the tasks ahead. My head perked up when I heard the sounds of my family returning. The mood was somber and focused, with the exception of Emmett who couldn't wait to begin the fight.

You're in trouble, mister, Alice thought. Vegas? Please tell me you're joking.

I shrugged my shoulders innocently. It was Bella's choice, not mine. I looked intently into Alice's eyes from across the room, silently pleading with her to keep her thoughts to herself.

And to top it off, I can barely see a thing! These wolves…ugh…more trouble than they're worth! Can't see…can't plan… I briefly toyed with the idea of reminding Alice that involving the wolves was her idea.

"I think – " she scrunched up her nose, " – that you're going to want to pack for cold weather, Edward. I can't see where you are exactly, because you're taking off with that dog this afternoon. But the storm that's coming seems particularly bad in that general area."

I nodded, amused as her thoughts vacillated between frustrations with the wolves and frustrations with Bella's lack of enthusiasm for wedding plans.

Stop smirking! Did you hear what I said? "It's going to snow on the mountains," she reiterated.

"Ew, snow," Bella made a face.

"Wear a jacket," Alice told her. Maybe a white one – you could get married in it, too. Maybe you can get Elvis to perform the ceremony. Argh!

I chuckled to myself as Alice stomped off, clearly put out by Bella's choice of how she preferred to be married. I turned to Bella. She rested her chin on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. She gave me a look as if to say, What's up with her?

"Would you like to help me pick out some camping gear for our trip?" I asked, avoiding the question in her eyes.

"Sure," she muttered. I offered her my hand and helped her up. She followed me into the garage where we stored our camping equipment – mere props in our human charade that were finally going to be put to some use.

Bella leaned against her truck as I began gathering the supplies we would need for our overnight camping expedition. Alice slipped into the garage and hopped onto the hood of her Porsche, watching silently – well, her mouth was silent anyways.

I can't believe you would even consider it, Edward. I know you…Vegas? Every girl dreams about her wedding day – even Bella. If you do this, you'll regret it.

I ignored Alice's tirade as I packed a backpack with dehydrated food for Bella. When I had gathered everything we should need, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to Bella. "Why don't you call Jacob and tell him we'll be ready for him in an hour or so. He knows where to meet us."

Bella arched an eyebrow, but took the phone and began dialing. She held the phone up to her ear, turning slightly away from me. As the conversation began, I turned my attention to Alice.

"She doesn't want a lot of fanfare," I whispered.

What girl doesn't? I'm telling you, if she doesn't have a real wedding, she's going to regret it.

I shook my head no. It was bad enough that Bella had given back the ring for safe keeping, or so she said, and I was afraid that if Alice began pushing for anything other than a quick Vegas-style ceremony, Bella would back out altogether.

Just let me talk to her. She'll see it my way, I can almost guarantee it.

Alice, the master manipulator, would surely convince Bella to go along with whatever elaborate plans she was concocting, but I would have to pick up the pieces. I would be the one left to calm and bolster Bella, to assure her that her friends were happy for her and not gossiping behind her back.

I shook my head no again, but Alice crossed her arms, refusing to back down. I had visions for months of Bella in a wedding gown – a gown I already ordered, mind you. If you were supposed to get married like this, I would have been having visions of a drive-thru.

I heard the click as Bella shut the phone. She held it out to me. "Billy said to tell you 'good luck.' " I broke my gaze with Alice and turned to Bella.

"That was generous of him," I smiled.

"Bella, could I please speak to you alone," Alice interrupted.

I glared at her. "You're about to make my life harder than it needs to be, Alice. I'd really rather you didn't."

"This isn't about you, Edward," she spat, hopping down from her perch and taking a determined step toward me. I had to laugh at the absurdity of her comment. She was right. It wasn't about me. But it wasn't about Bella either. No, this was about Alice.

"It's not," she insisted. "This is a female thing."

Bella's head oscillated between the two of us, caught in the middle of our standoff as we glowered at one another. Bella placed a calming hand on my shoulder. "Let her talk to me," she said.

"You asked for it," I muttered, shaking my head as I strode out of the room. Bella had no idea what she was in for – Alice would be relentless, pushing until she got exactly what she wanted – what she thought Bella wanted. I shut the door behind me and closed my eyes, leaning my head against the wall.

"Sorry about that," Jasper said as he leaned against the wall next to me. "You know how she gets."

"I know," I groaned. Alice would be Alice, but as much as I loved my sister, she was pushing the limits of my patience this time. The situation with Bella was precarious and I didn't want to risk her changing her mind.

"Then why do I see you sneaking off to Vegas to get married without inviting me?" I heard Alice say.

Jasper quirked an eyebrow at me. Don't you know better?

"Oh," Bella replied. "You know how I hate to make a big deal out of things. It was Edward's idea, anyway."

Yes, I know…. "I don't care whose idea it was. How could you do this to me? I expect that kind of thing from Edward, but not from you." I know you're listening, Edward. "I love you like you were my own sister."

"She's laying it on pretty thick, isn't she?" I asked, turning to Jasper.

"Can you blame her?" he shrugged. "She's been planning your wedding almost since the day you met Bella."

"But it's not what Bella wants," I complained.

"Then let Bella tell her," he said, placing a calming hand on my shoulder. "Let Bella be the one to tell her she doesn't want a wedding. Who knows, you may be surprised – she may want it, but not be willing to admit it."

"Please, please, please. Please, Bella, please – if you really love me…" I heard Alice begging in the next room and proceeded to repeatedly bang my head against the wall.

"Aw, Alice!" Bella complained. "No! Don't do this to me."

Jasper chuckled as he patted my shoulder and turned to walk away. "If you really, truly love me, Bella," Alice pleaded.

"That is so unfair. And Edward kind of already used that one on me." Bella's words stung a bit, as though she felt coerced into agreeing to marry me. It was disheartening to hear that she felt that way. I didn't want her to marry me out of a sense of obligation. I wanted her to marry me because she loved me and wanted me to be the one to share eternity with her.

"I'll bet Edward would like it better if you did this traditionally," Alice continued, "though he'd never tell you that. And Esme – think what it would mean to her!"

"I'd rather face the newborns alone," Bella muttered. I could envision her standing in front of Alice, her arms crossed, a scowl on her face, but the inflection in her voice indicated that she may be on the verge of giving in. No doubt, it was the mention of Esme that tipped the scales. She really would love to see us married in a traditional ceremony.

"Please, please, please, please please?"

"I'll never, never ever forgive you for this, Alice."

"Yay!" I heard Alice exclaim as the visions of an elaborate wedding started flashing in rapid sequence, almost too quickly for me to keep up.

"That's not a yes!"Bella huffed.

"But it will be."

"Edward!" Bella yelled. "I know you're listening. Get over here." I swung the door open to see an ecstatic Alice bouncing uncontrollably and an irritated Bella who looked like she could take on a few newborns herself.

"Thanks so much, Alice," I scowled as I wrapped Bella in my arms. Her body trembled and I wondered if Alice had truly upset her – if she was once again compromising what she wanted to make everyone else around her happy.

"Vegas," I whispered in her ear.

"Not a chance," Alice hissed. "Bella would never do that to me. You know, Edward, as a brother, you are sometimes a disappointment."

"Don't be mean," Bella scolded, turning her head to Alice. "He's trying to make me happy, unlike you."

Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to make you happy, too, Bella. It's just that I know better what will make you happy…in the long run."

"A little presumptuous, don't you think," I hissed under my breath.

Alice ignored me. "You'll thank me for this. Maybe not for fifty years, but definitely someday." That goes for you too, Edward.

"I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be willing to take a bet against you, Alice, but it has arrived," Bella shook her head.

Alice threw her head back as she laughed. "So, are you going to show me the ring?" she asked, grabbing Bella's hand. Wait a minute? What? But I saw… She let go of Bella's hand and looked questioningly from me to her.

"Huh. I saw him put it on you…Did I miss something?" She closed her eyes and I watched as she scanned the visions in her mind, looking for any inconsistencies. "No. Wedding's still on."

"Bella has issues with jewelry," I quickly lied.

Alice's eyes narrowed. "What's one more diamond? Well, I guess the ring has lots of diamonds, but my point is that he's already got one on –"

"Enough, Alice!" I cut her off, imploring her not to continue. Bella had no idea that the pendant on her bracelet was a diamond and I preferred it to stay that way. It was difficult enough to convince her to accept it, but if she knew what it really was…

"We're in a hurry," I said, gripping Bella's shoulders and pushing her toward the garage door.

"I don't understand," Bella looked between me and Alice with a puzzled expression. "What's that about diamonds?"

"We'll talk about it later," Alice waved her off. "Edward is right – you'd better get going. You've got to set a trap and make camp before the storm comes." My vision was briefly obscured by a haze of swirling, white snowflakes. "Don't forget your coat, Bella. It seems…unseasonably cold."

"I've already got it," I said as I began pulling the camping gear onto my back.

"Have a nice night," Alice waved as she skipped back into the house. Be careful.

"Ready to go?" I asked, holding out my arms.

She nodded and yelped quietly as I scooped her up in my arms. We began our trip to the clearing, where Alice said the newborns would pick up Bella's scent, leading them right where we wanted them. Not wanting to give the newborns any reason to follow another trail other than the one we were setting, I circled around the clearing as far as I could.

We reached the point Alice had indicated and I set Bella down on her feet. "All right. Just walk north for a ways, touching as much as you can. Alice gave me a clear picture of their path, and it won't take long for us to intersect it."

"North?" she asked, looking around her with a perplexed expression.

I smiled, pointing her in the right direction. She began walking, her hands reaching out to touch every branch in her path. I kept my distance, making sure our paths didn't cross.

"Am I doing this right?" she called.

"Perfectly."

"Will this help?" she asked as she ran her fingers through her hair. I heard a distinct ripping noise as Bella's hand pulled away holding several strands of hair. She dropped the strands on the plant at her feet.

"Yes, that does make the trail stronger," I nodded. "But you don't need to pull your hair out, Bella. It will be fine."

"I've got a few extras I can spare."

She continued walking, doing a very thorough job of scenting her path. Jasper would be proud. She was always trying so hard to please everyone, to make everyone around her happy. It was rare that she did anything selfishly, anything for herself. "You don't need to let Alice have her way, you know," I said.

"Don't worry about it, Edward," she murmured. "I'm not going to leave you at the altar, regardless." That was a welcome relief – although I didn't think she would be capable of such a hurtful action. "That's not what I'm worried about. I want this to be what you want it to be."

I heard Bella sigh. "Well, even if she does get her way, we can keep it small. Just us," I promised her. Alice would argue against it, but this wasn't about what she wanted. "Emmett can get a clerical license off the internet," I suggested.

She let out a chuckle. "That does sound better."

"See," I said, happy to hear her laughing about all this. "There's always compromise." If I could make her feel more at ease, convince Alice to give Bella as much control as possible – or at least the illusion of control – then it would make things much easier on myself.

Bella walked cautiously, stepping over rocks and branches. She may have been going a bit overboard with the effort she expended touching every surface around her, but I couldn't fault her for wanting to do a good job.

I saw her eyes light up as the clearing came into view and her pace quickened as the finish line was in sight. It happened so quickly, I didn't have time to warn her. The toe of her right show caught on a root sticking up from the ground and she began to fall. She gasped, stretching her arms out in front of her to break her fall. I heard the snap of wood as her hand made contact with the small tree branch and the scent of fresh blood followed immediately after. I could taste the scent on the tip of my tongue, a delicious medley of flavors, the most delectable, most delicious scents I had ever encountered. But my mouth didn't water, I didn't feel the burn of venom at the back of my throat. It was as though her blood no longer held its appeal. Had I really been able to overcome it so easily?

"Ouch!" she exclaimed. "Oh, fabulous."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Stay where you are. I'm bleeding. It will stop in a minute."

Ignoring her, I crossed the distance and pulled her hand to me so that I could inspect the wound. "I've got a first aid kit," I explained. "I had a feeling I might need it."

"It's not bad," she shrugged. "I can take care of it – you don't have to make yourself uncomfortable."

"I'm not uncomfortable," I assured her. "Here," I reached for her hand, "let me clean it."

Her eyes lit up. "Wait a second. I just got another idea." She reached beside her, pressing her injured palm to a moss covered rock. She pulled her hand away, leaving a crimson stain against the green lichen.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Jasper will love this," she smiled as she rose to her feet and continued walking, pressing her palm to every available surface. The scent of her blood swirled around in my head – the aroma was intoxicating. "I'll bet this really gets them going."

I thought she was going above and beyond before, but this was bordering on ridiculous. Who knew what bacteria lingered on these surfaces. She could get an infection too easily. I let out a sigh.

"Hold your breath," she said passively as she continued to lay a trail of blood.

"I'm fine," I insisted. "I just think you're going overboard."

"This is all I get to do," she turned her head to face me. "I want to do a good job."

"Well, you have. The newborns will be frantic, and Jasper will be very impressed with your dedication. Now let me treat your hand – you've gotten the cut dirty."

Her heart rate quickened and her eyes widened as she turned to face me, clutching her injured hand to her chest. "Let me do it, please."

I shook my head, taking her hand in mine. "This doesn't bother me anymore." I took the first aid kit from the pack and began the process of cleaning and dressing the cut on her palm. She had managed to get quite a bit of dirt in the cut, not surprisingly.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I got over it," I said nonchalantly.

"You…got over it?" she repeated in disbelief. "When? How?"

How could I explain it so she would understand exactly why her blood no longer held the same appeal it once did? "I lived through an entire twenty-four hours thinking that you were dead, Bella. That changed the way I look at a lot of things."

"Did it change the way I smell to you?" she asked.

"Not at all. But…having experienced the way it feels to think I've lost you…my reactions have changed. My entire being shies away from any course that could inspire that kind of pain again."

She gaped at me, her mouth opening to respond, but no words came out.

"I guess that you could call it a very educational experience," I smiled.

She pursed her lips and ran her fingers across the bandage on her palm. A strong gust of wind blew past us and she began to shiver. I replaced the first aid kit in the bag and pulled out the winter jacket I had packed for her.

"All right. You've done your part," I held out the coat to her. "Now it's out of our hands. Let's go camping!" I tried to infuse as much enthusiasm into my voice as possible, but I failed miserably. The next sixteen hours or so would not be easy – for more reason than one.

She laughed as I helped her to her feet and led her to the clearing where Jacob was waiting for us.

"Where are we meeting Jacob?" she asked.

"Right here," I pointed as Jacob began walking toward us. My turn, he thought. Why should I be surprised that he was shirtless? He didn't need the clothing to keep warm, but more than that, he was about to carry Bella in his arms for quite a distance. I frowned, thinking of the closeness they would share, sickened by the thought of him being that close to her for such an extended period of time.

"There had to have been a better way to do this," I muttered.
"Too late now," Bella replied.

We continued to walk toward Jacob, each step more difficult than the last. I was about to tell Bella to forget the whole plan when she greeted Jacob. "Hey, Jake."

"Hi, Bella."

"Hello, Jacob," I said.

Let's not pretend to be friends here. You and I are working together because we have to – that's it. "Where do I take her?" he asked.

I reached behind me, pulling a map out and handing it to Jacob. He unfolded the map. "We're here now," I reached over, placing my finger on the map of our location.

Watch it, bloodsucker, Jacob flinched.

"And you're taking her up here," I traced the path with my finger. "Roughly nine miles."

"When you're about a mile away," I continued, "you should cross my path. That will lead you in. Do you need the map?"

"No thanks. I know this area pretty well." It is my territory, remember. "I think I know where I'm going." I wondered if Bella could hear the sarcasm in his voice, the thinly veiled threats in every other word.

"I'll take a longer route," I said, turning to Bella. "And I'll see you in a few hours." I reached a tentative hand up, gently stroking her cheek with the back of my hand. I hated the thought of leaving her alone with Jacob, even if it was only for a few hours. It was just more opportunity for him to worm his way into her heart.

"See you," Bella mumbled.

Yeah, later, leech. Time for some quality time with my girl.

My teeth locked as I slowly walked away, lingering just inside the tree line. I watched as they greeted each other, much more at ease in my absence. It took everything I had not to run back out and call the whole plan off. I squeezed my eyes shut. No matter how much I disliked the circumstances, we needed to continue on the path set before us. I needed to do everything in my power to keep Bella safe – even if it meant depending on a dog.

A/N: 1,000 reviews - I am completely floored. You guys are amazing and I can't tell you how humbling to read some of your comments. Thanks to whoever's been recommending this story to their friends - I seem to have acquired quite a few new readers since the last few chapters posted. I respond to all reviews, but if you submitted an unsigned review - THANK YOU to you too!

Thanks to my beta, Nellybear85, who is an amazing source of support for me. And thanks to all my other gals on Twitter and Fanfic that give me ideas, encouragement, and talk me through things when my brain gets a little too fried.

We're nearing the home stretch here. Only 13 days until the movie - don't know if I'll finish, but I'm giving it my best shot!